Cassie hooks up with Erin, a hot M.I.L.F. she met at a bar during family weekend at her college. Both Cassie and Erin are surprised to find out the next morning that Cassie is best friends with Erin’s college-age daughter, Parker, who Erin is visiting for the weekend. Cassie and Erin struggle between their secret hot and heavy feelings for one another and what is “right” for themselves and for Parker. Will they be able to ignore their physical attraction and history and move on for Parker’s sake or will the secrets begin to pile up against their better judgment?

Okay guys, I was obsessed with this one and devoured it in a few days even though it was a whooping 12 hours on audio. I really enjoyed the alternating POVs between Cassie and Erin and the dual narrators. And man, talk about STEAMY sex scenes… quite literally 🛀🏼. Give me all the spice! 🔥🔥🔥This was a solid 4-4.5 star read for me.

Thank you so much to SMP, Macmillan Audio and the author for an advance listener’s copy of this title in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a fun read. All of the characters were incredibly well-written, and the chemistry between Erin and Cassie was perfection. I loved the ending and the epilogue was sweet and so wholesome. Can't wait to read more by this author in the future! Will definitely be recommending this one.

Thank you Netgalley & Macmillan audio for an ALC of Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner!

This book is described as a sharp and sexy rom-com, which hits the nail on the head. Cassie, a college senior, accidentally hooks up with her best friend Parker’s mom on family weekend. What should’ve been a one time fling quickly escalates into something more than either of the women planned for.

This is a sweet but also very spicy rom-com about family, friendship, love and happiness. I loved alternating the audiobook with the eARC version and found myself excited to hear the alternating POVs of Erin and Cassie. They both struggle internally with their growing relationship for different reasons, and it was great to see both sides of it. Really loved seeing the LGBTQ representation in this book!

cassie is a 21 year old college student who meets erin who is 39 years old at a bar and they have a quick hookup in the car outside the bar. the next day cassie finds out that erin is her best friend parker mom. even when finding out that erin is net best friend mom they don’t stop hooking up behind parker back. they try to keep it a secret from parker from what they have going on.

this is a forbidden relationship and i was living for it. there is ton of steamy scenes between cassie and erin and it was well written and hot. besides the hot sex there is also very cute moments between the two that i really enjoyed. i guess the only issue that i really had about this book it felt like it kinda drag on for a little too long. if it was a bit shorter i think it would’ve been perfect. but either way i enjoyed reading this and it was still very fun.

<b> thanks to netgalley for an audiobook arc. ♡

— 4/5 stars ♡ </b>

a brief synopsis: Cassie’s parents don’t come for parents weekend at college, so she heads to a bar. she meets a woman at the bar and hooks up with her. the following morning, Cassie discovers that her hookup from the bar is actually her room mate Parker’s mom, Erin.
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a cute, quick rom com. Cassie, Erin, and Parker are all dynamic, lovable characters. definitely some steam!
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MISTAKES WERE MADE should become a movie, and it deserves its own original soundtrack.

The overarching “Fuck should” messages of this book fell flat for me. Taboos are fun, especially in romance novels, but this was too far for me because of the execution. Neither of the main characters really had to deal with the negative consequences of their actions. It all fell to the side characters behind the scenes.

I will say the steam was ultra hot, so that alone could make it worth the read.

Thank you Net Galley, Meryl Wilsner, and Macmillan Audio for my advanced audio copy! My opinions are my own.

Plot - 3
Writing and Editing - 4
Character Development - 3
Narration - 5
Personal Bias - 2
Final Score - 3.4

4 stars.

Adult, contemporary, sapphic, age-gap, best-friend's mom romance.

One hot hook-up in a bar has turned into something far more complicated than either party had anticipated. The morning after said hookup, Cassie, arrives at a breakfast on campus with her close friend and her mother to find that her hookup and her friend's mother were one in the same. Erin has been trying to move on from her divorce and build a healthy relationship with her daughter, only to realize she slept with her daughter's best friend in a bar the night before. The two women decide that they should maintain their distance; however, the two are drawn to each other and can't seem to walk away.

This story relies heavily on miscommunication. There is a lot of steamy sneaking around. The age gap is very apparent, as Cassie's character is rather immature and gives very young vibes throughout. However, Erin isn't without her flaws either. All of that aside, the characters remain loveable. How? I'm not sure, but I love them all. Even the side characters in this story are gold.

While I was not a huge fan of Meryl Wilsner's last book (Something to talk about), I really enjoyed this one and will for sure be on the lookout for her next book. Maybe our next one won't have an age-gap, who knows.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Jeremy Carlisle Parker, Quinn Riley, and Stephanie Németh-Parker, via NetGalley. An advanced reader's copy of this audiobook was provided to me via NetGalley by Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @smpromance for a copy of this book. Read this book if you enjoy:
- Age gap
- Forbidden romance (best friend's mom)
- String female characters
- Lots of steam

The steam pretty much starts from the first chapter and does not lighten up. I love how attracted Cassie is to Erin and how their relationship developed. The narration of both characters did an amazing job and enjoyed this fun read. The big conflict is hiding the fling from Parker who is the daughter of Erin and best friend to Cassie. For as a big secret it is, the big conflict was sort of a let down. Regardless, it was a good one!

This book was really sweet! Both narrators brought the characters to life and made them more relatable. I think some of the side characters could have been more three-dimensional, particularly Parker, but that's a common complaint I have with romances. I loved Erin and Cassie's love and affection and trust for each other. Overall, this was an enjoyable, incredibly Sapphic, easy listen.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the chance to listen to an advanced copy of this book.

Mistakes Were Made teeters on the edge between RomCom and Womens/Family lit. What starts as a spicy encounter between a college student (Cassie) and an older mysterious woman (Erin), quickly turns into a dramedy of errors when Erin is introduced the next morning as Cassie’s best friend’s mother!

What I thought was going to be simply an “age gap romance” ended up being a book with so much heart and warmth - a book of self exploration, acceptance, mother/daughter love, found family…. When it ended I wasn’t sure at first if it was for me… but the more I thought on it, the more I realized it was truly a beautiful ending - one we would all hope for in our own worlds and decisions.

This book is *spicy* - so anyone looking for a queer read with some serious heat - this is for you!

This book started off quick and was a very open door romance FF romance featuring best friend's mother. I knew nothing about this book going in and was definitely a bit surprised by how quickly things happened! All that aside, I really enjoyed all the characters. But, it felt like there was a lot of steam and not a lot of character build up… kind of like a Tessa Bailey novel? While I liked it, it wasn't my favorite and I think it would have been a tough read if I wasn't listening on audio at 2.5 speed because not a lot happened?

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio for advanced copies in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audio copy.

Mistakes Were Made is a love story between college student Cassie and her best friend, Parker’s mom Erin. When they first meet they had no idea who they were in relation to Parker. It was just a quick one night stand. No strings attached. Until the next morning, Parker brings Cassie to brunch to meet her mom, and Cassie and Erin set eyes on each other again.

Cassie goes home with Parker for winter break and spends a couple of weeks under the same roof as Erin. This leads to a lot of sneaking around and funny scenarios. The chemistry between the two women is strong and it reminds you that age is only a number.

I really loved some of the messaging I got out of this story. Especially doing whatever it takes to make yourself happy and seeing how people who love you will support you, no matter what. It really was a wholesome story about love and friendship.

As long as you can handle some provocative situations this is a story that is worth your time. It can be a little heavy on the sex details and I feel it ran on a little longer than needed but overall I like what I got out of the story.

The narration for this is all done very well. The book is from both Cassie's and Erin’s perspectives and they are narrated by two different narrators. Both narrators really capture the personality of their characters and make it very easy to get into. They also do a very great job with the sex details, which can make it a little awkward to listen to, but if they made that awkward it just means they are doing it well.

Final Score: 3/5

This book was so cute and had good representation for the LGBTQIA+ community. I love "taboo" books of any kind, so I was immediately a fan of the best friends mom concept. It's definitely a great wlw book

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley.com. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a fun lesbian Rom-Com. When a super hot fling in a bar with the sexiest woman Cassie has ever seen turns out to be her good friends mom, Cassie knows she should cut it off. But Erin is hot and she can't stop thinking about touching her. Soon they are sexting and cooking dinner together via FaceTime but Cassie doesn't know what to do about telling her friend.

She knows she has to stop but neither of them seems to have the will power to end it all together despite what they keep telling themselves.

The characters were fantastic and the story hilarious at times. I really appreciated the sexy older woman trope of this book. The narrator really brought this one to life.

After the first chapter, I wasn’t sure what I was in for but I am glad I stuck around! I think that I grew to really like both Cassie and Erin and subsequently their relationship as the book went on. Their significant age-gap and circumstances (Cassie being Erin’s daughter’s bff) definitely made me skeptical, but it worked out in the end. For me, I worried that Cassie would come off as too immature (more on this below), but I was thankful that it proved not to be the case here. The narrators were great. I felt like they captured Cassie and Erin’s voices well.

My personal preference for romance is a build of tension, and it’s hard to get that when the book starts off with a bang (literally). I know that’s the whole premise of the book, but I wish that at least some of the sex scenes had been cut down, so that when we did get one it could be really juicy and sexy. As it was, the descriptions of sex got a bit tiring towards the middle/end.

I understand this taboo-style romance where someone fucks someone’s mom, but I kind of wish that Cassie and Parker were older. I wish that Cassie was more like 26 instead of 21, and Erin could have been around 45. Yes, Erin would have had to have had Parker at 19, but that can be easily explained. Again, as mentioned it seemed like Cassie became less immature as the story went on, but it still makes me cagey when a character is 21-23 getting into a serious committed relationship with a significantly older partner (I have personal experience with this so I think I’m biased).

Absolutely no hate on this book though, I really did enjoy it and would recommend it to someone that loves a plethora of sexy scenes and smart, WLW romances! I’m giving this 4 stars on Goodreads.

I was a bit hesitant about this title as age gap romances really make me uncomfortable a lot of the time, but I thought this was extremely well done. I had so much anxiety about Parker the entire time, though haha

Ready for this messy little premise? Cassie is a college student escaping family weekend at a bar one night and meets an older woman named Erin. They have a really lovely insta-lusty time together, but don't imagine they will ever see each other again. The next morning, Cassie's close friend invites her to breakfast to meet her mom, who turns out to be the same woman from the night before. Even with good intentions to keep their hands off each other, they can't stop thinking about one another. Eventually, they give up on trying to stay away, but they keep their relationship a secret while hiding their own deepening feelings from themselves.

• This age gap and the best friend's mom taboo was not always easy for me to read. I had to suspend some disbelief to accept that this would work (but I'm really good at that so it's fine! 😅)

• I liked Cassie and how she was mature and self sufficient, but still clearly a college student who also acted her age when she was with her friends. (FYI she is a few years older than Erin's daughter!) I liked Erin and the fact that she chose joy and an adventure for herself, and it didn't mean that she loved her daughter any less.

• I'm really happy with Erin's daughter's growth and process in this novel. She starts off pretty unlikable, so I was glad to see a more well-rounded character by the end.

• Starts off with a bang (literally!) and your slow burn loving girl didn't mind it one bit this time! Usually I want to see a nice, long build up culminating in an absolute bonfire of desire by the time the characters get together! But I guess Mistakes Were Made caught me in a certain mood because we get the steamy stuff right at the start and pretty much consistently through the rest of the book too! I think it worked because Meryl did not rush or skip any relationship and character growth while she gave us the good stuff. It was also so ridiculously hot, so if the sapphic steam ever feels a bit too lukewarm for you in a traditionally published romance, you will be so pleased when you read this book!

• Overall, this was really fun and hard for me to put down. I read half and listened to half via audio and thought the narrators were perfect for both Erin and Cassie. Both had lovely voices, were pleasant to listen to, and fit the characters wonderfully.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

4⭐️

I definitely need more milf books after this, it lived up to the hype that I’ve seen around that trope and the spice in this book definitely delivered. I really enjoyed how it made the age gap taboo but not really creepy, the chemistry between Erin and Cassie was so well done and the characters and their backstories are pretty well developed.

I did fine the pacing quite off however; the book more often then not felt like it was either too slow or too fast and there was very little in between. I also don’t love the way Parker finds out that her friend and mom were together was revealed; yes it makes sense when you look back through the book (the signs are there and it fits) however it felt…I don’t know easy and forced don’t seem quite the right way to describe it but I don’t know how else to explain my feelings around it. It just felt a little too much like it was a convenient way to wrap up that plot point up with a neat little bow and I was hoping for a bit more I guess. There are also many weird lines that felt like they were trying to be like ‘woke’ but it just comes across pretty uncomfortable.

CW/TW:
Graphic: Sexual content, Abandonment, Alcohol
Moderate: Biphobia, Cursing, Emotional abuse
Minor: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Toxic relationship

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner
Age-gap, bff’s mom, and some sneakiness … perfect recipe for a good rom-com. And the spiciness, OH YES MA’AM! This book was downright sexy, but was also quite touching and charming. Cassie and Erin had an undeniable connection. It was definitely a fun and heartwarming romance that I would recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ahhh, immediately reading the synopsis of those book i knew i just NEEDED to read it! This story follows Erin and Cassie and their unexpected love story! I loved watching ALL of the relationships in this story grow. The character development and relationship building was top notch! I will say I felt there was opportunities there for more details between Parker and her mom after the first talk when Parker admitted to knowing of their relationship, I also am left with wanting to know what happened with Cassie’s future. I loved the banter and relationship between the friend group as well. Hate Adam. Acasia was the true MVP of the story for me. OHHHH. AND THE SPICE! 🔥 All in all, i HIGHLY enjoyed this story. 4.5 stars!